Blinded
by Pixie Athanasius
Summary: COMPLETE. The war has ended but it has left a lot of scars and wounds on the Wizarding World – including Draco Malfoy whose world suddenly became dark... literally. So what could be worse than this? How about being in the same room with Ginny Weasley...
1. Chapter 1

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BLINDED

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A/N: This is my first fic so please forgive me if it is not to your liking. It won't be a very long fic, probably around 4 chapters or so. Read and review please! And no flames!

disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, I wouldn't be here.

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CHAPTER 1

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Flashes of memory raced through his mind...

_Inside the Death Eaters' lair, he listened intently as they discussed their next move against the Order of the Phoenix. He glared back at Snape, immediately understanding him and gave an inconspicuous nod..._

_In Number 12 Grimmauld Place, alongside Snape, he relayed to the Order the Death Eaters' strategies. As Dumbledore started talking about their next move, he felt someone's gaze on him. He glanced sideways and caught, seated in between Ron and Hermione, the youngest Weasley looking at him. He smirked as she blushed furiously and looked away..._

_Along the streets of Diagon Alley, they were getting ready to ambush the enemy, only a few yards away from their hiding position..._

_The battle had erupted and everyone seemed to be preoccupied, dueling with another. As he sent one more Death Eater to the ground, he felt someone collide hard with his back, causing both of them to fall unceremoniously on the cold cement. He looked beside him and saw a female redhead lying next to him._

_'Great. Weasley." He thought. As he got up, she started to open her eyes..._

_"Traitor!" his father called out to him, wand out in his direction. By now, Ginny Weasley was standing next to him, though still a bit dazed._

_"You might want to start running, Weasel..." he said to her, eyeing his father with a mixture of hatred and fear._

_"What the hell are you talking about?" she said looking up at him, massaging her head. He looked at her, about to give her a nasty remark; suddenly he heard his father's voice utter a spell. He turned to look at that direction and saw a flash of white, bright and beautiful light..._

_Then there was darkness..._

Draco Malfoy was sweating all over as he started to awaken... at least, he _thought_ he was awake.

'Something's not right...' he thought. He knew he was awake. He _had_ to be awake. He couldn't possibly be dreaming, could he? No, it couldn't be... so why couldn't he see a thing? 'Shit, it can't be.' Realization suddenly hitting him... _hard_. He let his hands touch his face. As he touched his eyes, rather than feeling the skin of his eyelids, he felt nothing but bandage.

"Shit, shit, shit..." he cursed, his worst fear confirmed. He felt his muscles involuntarily tighten and his breathing seemed to have stopped. He started to pound his fists into the bed, cursing even more.

"Well, looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed..." He instinctively turned his head to the right, where the voice came from.

'I know that voice...' he thought. 'I know that voice _too_ well...'

"Weasley, is that you?" he said.

"Depends. Which Weasley are you referring to?"

"Well, unless any of your brothers suddenly spoke in a female voice, then I'd say you're little Ginny Weasel." He said, smirking.

"Hey, quit calling me weasel... and I'm not little." She said in a childish manner.

"Yeah, whatever. That's _real_ mature, Weasel."

Just then, the door creaked open and a set of footsteps could be heard entering the room.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy. You finally woke up." Said a woman whom he guessed to be the Medi-witch. "You've been unconscious for 3 days, you know."

"No, I didn't know. I can't really count when I'm unconscious." He said bitterly.

"Oh, for a moment there, I thought you were going to say you can't really count." Said Ginny, suppressing a laugh. Draco wished he could see her now so he could throw her his dirtiest glare.

"So, how are you feeling?" said the Medi-witch who chose to ignore both teens.

"How am I feeling? How the _bloody hell_ do you think I'm feeling?! I can't see a damn thing! Would you _care_ to explain what has happened to me?" he spoke in such a loud voice, he could've sworn he heard his own words echo inside the room.

"Well, Mr. Malfoy. Since you asked _ever so politely_," she said caustically. "I will _gladly_ inform you of what happened."

"Okay, then. Spill, woman." He said, getting impatient by the second. He crossed his arms before him as the witch gave an irritated sigh.

"You were nearly hit by a blinding spell." She started.

"Yes, I figured that bit out." He said.

"If you'd stop interrupting..." she began. When Draco made no sound, she continued. "Fortunately for you, this is just temporary."

Relief washed all over him as he heard these words. _Temporary... just temporary_. The words resounded in his mind like a melodious song. His muscles finally loosened and he felt himself breathe again.

"You will be receiving your medication everyday and hopefully, in a few weeks time, you'll be able to see again. Now is there anything else you wish to ask?" she said.

"Yeah, why am I with Weasel here?" he said, pointing his thumb to the right where he guessed Ginny's bed was situated. Again, the Medi-witch gave a sigh.

"I'll have you know Mr. Malfoy that Ms. Weasley here –"

"I – er... asked them to bring you here." Ginny suddenly interrupted.

"You did?" said the Medi-witch in a surprise manner. There was a long pause, followed by a couple of whispers and murmurs spoken so softly, Draco could hardly hear a thing. "Oh, right. Yes, she did!" said the Medi-witch after a moment. Now Draco felt his temper rising. What could they have been whispering about? And what right does a Weasley have to hide it from him?

"Er... yes, well I'll be leaving now." Said the Medi-witch. And with that, he heard her footsteps slowly leaving the room. When the door had been closed, Ginny gave a loud sigh.

"Wanna explain something, Weasley?" he said after a moment.

"Hmm... not really." Said Ginny in a playful tone.

"Yeah, you do. What the hell was that about?" he asked, feeling slightly irritated that she dare keep information from him.

"Nothing." She said.

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that?"

"Yes."

"What?!" he hissed.

"Nothing..." she said plainly.

"Right..." he said, absolutely not convinced. "So, why'd you want me in this room with you?" he said, smirking.

"Well..." she started.

'I got you there this time!' Draco thought.

"Think about it. If they put you in Harry's room, he'll pound you. If they put you in Ron's room, he'll insult you then pound you. If they put you in the twins' room, well... expect twice as much damage..."

"In other words, you're the only one who won't kill me. Is that it?" he said.

"Yes, that's pretty much it. Unfortunately for you, I'm the only one who has a heart around here." She said.

"You? Have a heart? That's new." He laughed.

"Oh, shut it."

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	2. Chapter 2

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BLINDED

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A/N: This is my favorite chapter! So I hope you guys like this too! Read and review please.

disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, I wouldn't be here.

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CHAPTER 2

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"Ouch! What the hell are you putting in my eye?" Draco whined. Though he couldn't see a thing, he could of course feel what the Medi-witch was doing. She had already removed the bandages that were, to Draco's discomfort and anger, absolutely useless ("Just for props!" said the Medi-witch). And now, she was lifting his left eyelid, and then dropping a certain kind of liquid, something that stung a lot.

"It's what will cure you. Now if you would just stay still, we can finish the other eye with less hassle." She said turning his head to the left so that she could perform the task on his right eye. Draco made no more movement (or sound) and let the witch do her job. "Okay, there you go." She said after a couple of minutes. "Now, Miss Weasley, it's time for your medication." He heard her walking towards the other end of the room where Ginny was.

"Er... is that going to hurt?" asked Ginny in a small voice.

'Well, what'd you know....' Thought Draco. 'The little Weasel is actually scared!'

"No dear, it won't." said the Medi-witch sweetly.

'Wonder what the Weasel's got anyway...' A few more moments passed and soon, the Medi-witch had finished treating Ginny as well. When she left, Draco started cursing.

"What in the damn world did that witch put in my eye?! It hurts like hell!" he said, wanting very badly to rub his eyes.

"What's the matter Malfoy, a little too much for you?" she said. If Draco could see, he knew he'd be seeing her smirking right now... oh, how he hated this.

"Oh, Weasley. You just don't know what it's like to be blind..." he said coldly. "What're you here for anyway? Cuts and bruises?"

"No. I don't actually know what I got... but all I know was I got hit by a curse a Death Eater threw at me. Some purple flame streaked out of his wand so... I have to take 10 different potions a day." She said in a monotonous and bored manner.

"Oh." That was all Draco could say. "Didn't the Mudblood get that a few years back?" he said after a while.

"Yes, she did... and don't call her Mudblood." She said. "Hey, how'd you know about Hermione?"

"News in Hogwarts travels fast. What'd you think? Everyone was wondering why there was no hand in the air during classes. Naturally, the whole school knows." He said, laughing weakly.

"Yeah..." she said, sighing. A very uncomfortable silence followed. He hated this so much. If only he could see... he wouldn't be feeling awkward right now... or embarrassed by the unwelcome silence that filled the room.

He smirked... 'Me? Draco Malfoy, feel awkward and embarrassed? And around a Weasley, no less! I must be really sick...' he thought.

"So, Weasel..." he started, desperate to break the silence. "What's inside this room, anyway?"

"Well..." she began. "It's white, as all the rooms are in this hospital... there's a window on my side of the wall... and it's not really such a big room. I'd say, about half of our classroom..."

"It's that small?!" he interrupted.

"Half a classroom isn't _that_ small."

"For a Weasley... but for a Malfoy, that's unheard of! Why, the smallest room in Malfoy Manor is as big as 1 _and a half_ classroom!" he said, flailing his hands.

"Oh, yeah. Sure, start bragging again. And I had thought you've changed since you joined the Order." She said bitterly.

"You can't expect me to change in 6 months when I've grown used to being rich for 18 years?!" he said.

"Yeah, yeah... Draco 'stinking rich' Malfoy can't even bear to be inside a small room. Don't worry, I won't take up all the oxygen around here." She said filled with pure annoyance.

"My, my, aren't we sensitive." He said, annoying Ginny even more.

"You know, you're such an idiotic git!" she said. Draco heard the ruffling of blankets. He could just imagine her tearing apart her blanket or pounding on the bed with her fists.

"Whatever. At least I'm a beautiful git." He said, smirking.

"_Beautiful?!_ You wish Malfoy!" she said.

"Oh admit it, Weasley. You know you can't resist me." He said, leaning back his head on the pillow.

"Again, you wish!"

"Yeah? Then why were you staring at me back at Black's place?" he said smirking, if possible, more.

"Staring at you? I was _glaring _at you! I just couldn't bring myself to trust you!"

"So why'd you blush when I looked at you?" he said, now holding back a laugh.

"I didn't blush!" she defended.

"Yeah, you did... you wouldn't know. You couldn't see your whole face turn into a shade of crimson."

"Well... maybe you're just..." she stuttered.

"I'm what?"

"Maybe you're just... er... _distracting_." She said. Draco again wished he could see her now. He knew he'd see her blushing the same way she did back at Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Distracting?" he said, laughing slightly. "Yes, that's another way of saying that you find me absolutely attractive."

"You are such an idiotic git!" she said.

"You said that already..." he added. He heard her groan and knew she was probably burying her face on a pillow or something.

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They spent a lot of their days bickering and teasing each other. Not a day went by without their noise. At the same time, not a day went by without Draco asking what was outside the window that day. And everyday, Ginny would describe to Draco what was outside with much joy, which he greatly appreciated – though he'd never tell her.

There was one day when she told him about the serene weather, with perfectly blue skies and smooth white clouds taking different shapes. She told him of the cool wind brushing against her cheek and the beautiful autumn leaves slowly falling down.

The other day, she told him that there were a few kids playing Quidditch outside with their broomsticks. She told him of how one girl got the snitch ahead of the boy.

"The redhead girl just caught the snitch in time before the blonde boy got to it." She said. Draco could imagine her grinning widely.

"You're making that part up." He said, suppressing a smile but to no avail.

'The little Weasel just made me _smile_... Did I just think about that? Stop thinking about that!' his mind screamed at him.

Ginny then started laughing... not a mocking kind of laugh, but a mirthful laugh.

"What's funny?" he asked.

"Nothing really... but..."

"But what?" he interrupted.

"But you're right. I was making that part up."

Each time she told him of what was outside, he felt jealous. Jealous that he couldn't see what she was seeing. Now more than ever, he regretted taking for granted all the little things he passed by. He regretted the fact that he never took time to just look at the small things in life... and here was Ginny who seemed to see the beauty in everything.

"How's the outside world today?" he said a week after, as he was lying down.

"Well, the leaves have fallen completely from the tree and those wonderful shades of orange, brown and red keep streaking through the air." She said, sighing.

'How poetic she is...' he thought.

"I really wish I could see already." He said after a moment, running his fingers through his silvery blonde hair.

"Well, look at the bright side of things..." she said.

"There _is _no bright side in my case... _literally_."

"Course there is. Your blindness is temporary." said Ginny. "You know, you only make things worse for you if you keep on thinking that way. If this situation seems bad for you, then it's your fault because you keep on thinking that it _is_ a bad situation."

"Easier said than done, Weasel. You try being blind, let's see how you feel!" he said, almost in a shouting manner. At this, Ginny fell silent.

"I'm sorry." She said after a while.

"Don't be." He said all of a sudden, catching himself by surprise.

'_Don't be?_ You're supposed to say, _you should be!_' his mind scolded. "Oh, no... this isn't happening." He said, quite unwillingly.

"What's not happening?" asked Ginny.

"Hmm?"

"You just said 'this isn't happening'..."

"Oh, er... nothing, nothing..." he said. 'Oh, careful there! You're speaking your mind out by accident... you wouldn't want her to know that you're... no, no! You can't possibly be...'

"Shit." He said unconsciously.

"Excuse me?" said Ginny.

"Oh, sorry." He said at once.

'Why'd you say sorry?! There's nothing to be sorry about! And Draco Malfoy does not say sorry to a Weasley!' said his mind. 'Don't tell me I'm...'

"Oh, damn it." Again, he spoke without wanting to.

"What?" asked Ginny.

"Did I say something?" said Draco.

"Yeah, you said 'damn it'... what's the matter?" she asked, a little concerned.

"Nothing." He said. 'You're going to get yourself in trouble! You just said your thoughts out loud yet again! Good thing you didn't say anything stupid...' he thought to himself. "Nothing like _I'm in love with you..._"

"You're _what?!_" said Ginny, surprised.

'Whoops...'

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	3. Chapter 3

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BLINDED

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A/N: Third chapter! Okay, things might seem a little too fast in this chapter but... I'm too lazy to fix it... so sorry for that. Read and review please! And no flames!

disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, I wouldn't be here.

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CHAPTER 3

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"Did you just say that or... am I dreaming? Wait, where the hell did you bring the _real_ Malfoy?!" she said, absolutely caught off guard.

"Well... er..." he started, but couldn't quite continue. 'See?! Just stop thinking too much... you'll kill yourself!' Draco started rubbing his forehead. Yes, he really was thinking too much.

'You spend too much time with her... that's why you feel this way. Oh, and you just have to be a sucker for poetry, huh?!' he told himself.

"Is what you just said true?" she asked. Draco didn't know if she was _hoping_ that it is true or absolutely disgusted at the idea.

Just then the door creaked open.

"Ginny! How are you?" came Ron's voice from the door. He entered, along with more pairs of footsteps.

'Oh, great. More company.' He thought. 'And perfect timing too.'

This was about the third time Ron had visited this week, along with Harry and Hermione. During the first visit, Draco was half-asleep, hearing only faint whispers and murmurs. On the second visit, Draco was in the right state of mind to insult the trio ("Yep, he's awake alright." Hermione had said). Now on their third visit, he knew that he was definitely _not_ in the right mind.

"Malfoy..." said Ron, acknowledging his presence. Draco just nodded and pretended to fall asleep. He turned on his side so that his face was facing the wall and his back facing them.

As he pretended to sleep, he was also listening to their conversation.

"So, can I guess that he's not in the mood?" asked Harry.

"Yeah... something... weird just happened." Stated Ginny, hesitantly.

For about 10 minutes, they were talking about the other Weasley members. Apparently, everyone was safe already. All they needed was time to recuperate. Draco found there was no reason to eavesdrop and was slowly falling into slumber until...

"Don't tell me you _still_ haven't told him!" came Hermione's voice.

"Hush!" said Ginny.

"Yeah, Gin. What's wrong if you tell him? It's not like he's going to care!" said Ron.

"I said shush!" said Ginny. "But you're right. _Maybe_ he won't care... but I can't tell him cause... well, maybe _I_ care." She said.

"You're not serious, are you, Gin?" asked Ron in disbelief. "Not Malfoy!"

"Yeah, Gin... Malfoy?!" echoed Harry.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! _Shush!_" After this, their voices were becoming inaudible, leaving Draco very much confused.

'At least you know one bit... she really _does_ find you _distracting._' Said his mind.

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The next day, there was a very awful silence that fell upon the room.

"Well, you finally got tired of bickering, eh?" said the Medi-witch after finishing their medications. Just as she was leaving the door, she spoke once again.

"Mr. Malfoy. You'll be glad to know that in 2 days time, you'll be able to see again." She said, shutting the door.

Draco felt his insides jump for joy. 'In 2 days, I can see again!'

"I'm... really happy for you." Ginny spoke for the first time that day.

"Er... thanks." Said Draco, not entirely sure of what to say. 'Look at yourself! You're getting tongue-tied because of a girl!'

"Um, how about you? Getting any better?" he asked, trying to sound concerned. Ginny laughed weakly. She seemed to be thinking about her answer.

"Actually, I'm not getting any better... at all." Said Ginny.

"What?! Aren't you taking your medications?" said Draco, now _really_ concerned for her.

"Yes but..." she stopped for a moment. Draco waited for her to continue. But instead of hearing her voice, he heard her breathing become uneven.

"Are you crying?" he asked, very much at a loss for words.

"N-no... don't mind me... I-I'm fine." She said, now fully revealing that she was indeed weeping.

Draco didn't know what to do. He wanted to tell her something but he was scared he might make her cry even more. He wanted to go on over to her and hold her but... would she let him? There was only one way to find out.

Draco sat up from his bed and started to feel around. He grabbed unto the side of the bed where there was a metal bar. He slowly pulled himself down, making sure that his feet landed perfectly on the cold floor. Once there, he did his best to follow the sound of Ginny's sniffling.

He held out his hand and, as if she was visible, wiped the tears from her face away.

"Draco... how? Why're you..." she started.

"Hush, it's fine." He said, holding her close. And for the rest of the night, they lay there on her bed together, finally falling asleep.

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	4. Chapter 4

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BLINDED

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A/N: This is the last chapter. Yes, it's an absolutely short fic. You will probably kill me after you read this.

disclaimer: I don't own anything. If I did, I wouldn't be here.

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CHAPTER 4

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Draco woke up quietly, trying not to move too much. He didn't want to wake up the redhead sleeping in his arms. As he opened his eyes, rather than seeing darkness, he saw white... he saw the ceiling!

He sat up carefully and looked down at the Gryffindor beside him. Yes, it's true! He can see... well, his vision was still blurry – very blurry in fact, but that didn't matter! He can see!

He felt himself smile and put a strand of Ginny's red hair away from her face. She started to stir and pretty soon opened her eyes.

"Ginny, I can see!" he said at once. Though he couldn't see her all that clearly, he could at least make out that she was smiling.

"See? What'd I tell you? Brighter side!" she said in her cheerful voice.

'How could I not have seen her before?' he told himself. As he looked down at her, he did the only thing that his whole body would allow him. He bent down and kissed Ginny softly on the lips.

She was caught by surprise but later on returned the kiss.

He heard the door open and pulled slowly away from her, much to their dismay. He glanced at the wide figure by the door and heard the familiar voice of the Medi-witch.

"Mr. Malfoy? What are you – oh, my..." she said, a bit shocked by the scene that welcomed her. Draco laughed and got off Ginny's bed.

"I can see now... though still a bit unclear." He stated, climbing unto his own bed.

"Yes, I can see that." She said, finally recovering. "Well as I said the other day, by the time tomorrow is over, you'll have your complete vision back." She said.

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That day, Ginny was very quiet... _too_ quiet even for her.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked finally, sitting on his own bed.

"Nothing..." she turned to him and smiled. "I'm just really happy for you." Draco smiled, not really knowing what to say.

"Don't worry... I'm going to make sure you get better as well." He said, trying to comfort her.

"What are you talking about?" she said, still smiling. "I already _am_ better. Just knowing that you're going to be okay makes me feel better." Again, Draco did the only thing he could do... smile.

"I knew it... Like I said before, you really can't resist me." He said, returning to his normal self.

"Ooh, you're such an –"

"Idiotic git?" he supplied.

"No! You're a vain Slytherin, that's what you are!" she said, laughing.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." He said.

They spent the rest of the day and the next day just talking and, occasionally, bickering (still unavoidable). But nonetheless, they had never gotten along much better before.

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That night, they sat in enjoyable silence, looking up at the ceiling. Breaking the stillness in the room, Draco gave out a loud sigh.

'It's now or never... you'd better tell her already how you feel.' He thought.

"You know what?" he said.

"What?" he heard Ginny from her side.

"..." he hesitated. He was never one to be open about his emotions. "Becoming blind was the best thing that ever happened to me... "

"Really?" Ginny said. Though he couldn't see her from his position, he knew she was smiling. "And why is that?" she asked.

'She's really going to make this hard for you...' He gave out a sigh and a weak laugh.

"Because..." he started. "When I was blind, I was able to see you..."

"That was beautiful." She said.

"Yeah, well..." said Draco, not used to receiving such compliments. "You're optimism is rubbing off on me." Ginny laughed weakly.

* * *

At dawn, Draco suddenly woke up. He didn't really know why, but there was something inside him that urged him to go over to Ginny's side. He was so preoccupied that he failed to notice that his vision had become completely clear.

"Ginny?" he whispered as he walked over to her. He sat down on her bed and bent down, facing her.

"Draco?" she said softly, opening her eyes slowly.

"Yeah... are you okay?" he said, touching her cheek with his palms. Ginny just smiled at him and closed her eyes again. "Ginny?" he said, shaking her slightly. She smiled and opened her mouth to speak.

"Draco Malfoy..." she drew one long breath. "I love you."

The smile never faded from her lips.

Draco held her tightly and let himself cry. By the time morning comes, he would have to hide this pain he felt inside...

* * *

Hours after, her family was inside the room, weeping and crying uncontrollably. He stood outside the door, leaning his body. He tried his best to hide his emotions, but was betrayed by his eyes. Though he wasn't weeping, there was too much sorrow in them to miss.

He looked around the room, looking at the mourning faces of the people inside. He was about to leave when he noticed something in the room... no, he noticed something _wasn't_ in the room... there was no window.

'What the hell?' Just then, Ron came over to him.

"Malfoy..." he said, his head down trying to hide his tear-stained face. Draco stared at him, not knowing what to say. "There's something you have to know..." he started.

"I think Ginny meant to tell you this earlier but... let me ask you, do you know why you were in the same room with Ginny?" he asked him. Draco shook his head, a bit uneasy.

Suddenly, the pieces started to come together... fresh memories resurfaced in his mind...

_As he looked at the bright light before his eyes, he felt someone push him aside...._

_"You were _nearly_ hit by a blinding spell..." the Medi-witch had said._

"Well, here in St. Mungo's, they put the patients with the same illness in the same room... meaning –"Ron started, when Draco cut him off.

"Ginny was _blind all along_."

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